Matthews and Kaepernick, who opted out of a $14.5 million option with the San Francisco 49ers, were college teammates at Nevada during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, connecting for 147 completions for 2,243 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Some suggest the lack of interest stems from Kaepernick's decision to sit or take a knee during the national anthem last season. Kaepernick said it was a form of protest.

"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," the quarterback said shortly thereafter.

A Titans fan covers her face to shield it from the sun while watching practice during training camp at Saint Thomas Sports Park Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017 in Nashville, Tenn.
George Walker IV / The Tennessean

Since opting out of his deal, Kaepernick has faced difficulty finding a job with an NFL team, despite tryouts with the Seattle Seahawks and, most recently, the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens brought in Kaepernick for a workout after starter Joe Flacco injured his back.

Shortly after the workout and during an open forum with fans, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti was noncommittal on signing Kaepernick.

"We're very sensitive to it and we're monitoring it, and we're still, as (Ravens general manager) Ozzie (Newsome) said, 'scrimmaging it,'" Bisciotti said.

“I hope we do what is best for the team and balance that with what is best for our fans,” Bisciotti added when a fan asked if Kaepernick could ‘damage your brand.’ “Your opinions matter to us. … We’re very sensitive to it, and we’re monitoring it, and we’re trying to figure out what’s the right tact. So pray for us.”

The league's indecision with Kaepernick has seemed puzzling, considering the quarterback's passing numbers (16 touchdowns, four interceptions, 90.7 rating) were better than the crop of quarterbacks signed this offseason, including Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith and even Kaepernick's former backup, Blaine Gabbert.

As for Matthews, the sixth-year pro hopes teams give a clear answer as to why they would or wouldn't sign Keapernick.

"If you want to say because he can't play then the person not signing him should say that," Matthews said. "If they want to say, 'Oh we've decided we want to go in a different direction,' then cool, but I just feel like people should be honest."

Despite Kaepernick's free-agent stalemate, both Matthews and Walker believe their former teammate will get another shot.

"I think he'll be able to be on a team," Walker said.

Since the protest, Kaepernick launched the Know Your Rights Camp, a campaign funded by the quarterback to "raise awareness on higher education, self empowerment, and instruction to properly interact with law enforcement in various scenarios," according to the campaign's website.